Improved bread-cutter



UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES OXLEY, OF SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND.

IMPROVE'D' BREAD-CUTTER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,7 l5, dated May 10, 1864.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, JAMES OXLEY, of Sheffield, in the county of York and Kingdom of Great Britain and ireland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cutting, Slicing, and Chopping Bread and other Substances; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

lhis invention relates to apeculiar con struction and arrangement of apparatus for cutting, slicing, and chopping bread, cheese, suet, vegetables, tobacco, leather, or any other sunstance capable of being cut by a knife; and it consists, essentially, in the em ployment of a knife which is connected at one end with a vibrating lever-handle working on a center fixed tothe table or base of the apparams, While the opposite end ot' the knife carries a small anti-friction roller or pin which works along an inclined slotted arm or bracket fixed to the rear end of the table or base ot' the apparatus. By this arrangement a good draw cutis obtained, the knife being made to' move both longitudinally and vertically by the combined action of the lever-handle and inclined slot. The loaf or other article or substance to be sliced or chopped is placed upon the table or base ol the apparatus and is pushed home against an adjustable gage carried by the lever-handle after each cut, such gage serving to regulate the different thicknesses of slices to be cut. When the use of the gage is not required, it can be turned back or thrown out of action.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings represents a perspective view of one arrangement of my improved apparatus drawn to a scale of about halt' the real size ofthe smallest size made.

The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout all the figures.

A is the base of the apparatus, B, the cutting-table; U, the knife, the rear end of which carries a small anti-friction roller or pin, a, which works in a slot, b, in the inclined bracket -D, secured to the base of the apparatus. The front end of the knife is jointed at c to the lever-handle E, which works on a fixed center (not shown in the drawings) in the base A. NVhen used as a bread-Slicer, a loaf, F, is placed upon the cutting table or board B and held against the side of the up right I while. it is pressed forward against the gage K. This gage consists of an arm provided with a collar or socket, d, at one end, through which Worksa screwspindle, e, carried in a lateral bracket or projection, L, on the side ot' the lever E. By turning this screw the gage K is made to approach to or recede from the vertical plane ot the cutting-edge of the knife, and consequently the thickness of the slice cut off may be regulated at pleasure. The upright I may be made vot' metal or Wood and has a Vertical guiding-slot made therein or made in a separate piece ot' metal, M, as shown in the drawings, secured to the upright v I, through and by which'slot the k nit'e O works and is guided. A handle may be formed on the top oi the piece M, as shown in the drawings, by which the apparatus may be conveniently carried. In some cases asecond guide, N, may be employed, consisting of an upright secured iirmly` to the cuttingboard .or base and bearing against the side oi' the knife,

thereby steadying the same when in the act of cutting. .By depressing the lever-handle E the knife C is simultaneously depressed and drawn forward, thereby producing' a downward and a forward or draw cut and severing the slice irom `the end of the loaf. The slice so cut is separated or pushed from the end of the loaf by the small projecting bar or rib U, which is attached by pins or otherwise to the outer side of the'knite and extends along its entire cutting-portion; or in lieu of this bar or rib O a small incline or Wedge may besecured to the side of the knife.

Fig. 2 on Sheet 2 ot' my drawings repree, sents a side elevation of a modified form of my machine or cutting apparatus provided with a device for feeding the loafl or other substance to be cut regularly along, so as to insure a perfect regularity in the thickness of the slices without the necessity for using a gage. This arrangement of feed apparatus is intended more particularly to be used when cutting very thin slices-such, for example, as slices of bread or meat, &c., for sandwichesand, although I have shown it as applied to the modified form of cutter illustrated on Sheet 2 of my drawings, it is equally applicable to the cutter, Fig. l, shown on Sheet l of my drawings. NVhen this feed apparatus is used,'the gage which is employed in cutting thicker slices may be thrown out of action.

Fig. 3 is a plan ofthe moditied form of cut-- ter and feed apparatus, and Fig. 4 is an elevation of the opposite side to that shown in Fig. 2-that is, looking on the face of the loaf or other substance being cut. In this modication of the cutting apparatus-the knife C is jointed at its rear end, a, to a link, D, working on a center or fulcrum, f, in place of sliding along an inclined slot, b, as in the previous arrangement.

The dotted lines show the position of the knife and gage (the latter being shown thrown back out 0E action) when the cutis completed.

The feeding apparatus consists ot' a slide, 1 of wood or metal having an upright face, Q, against which the loaf', it' used as a breadcutter, is adjusted and held by the claws or hooks R llt, hinged or otherwise fixed to the slide, as shown clearly in Fig.`4, where one portion of the loat F isshown in vertical section. A trough-shaped piece of metal, S, is iitted onto the under side of the slide, its two ed ges only projecting slightly beyond the surface. An opening is made in the top ot' the 1iece S, through which works apawl, T, connected with a small lever, U, which works on a iiXed center, u, in the piece S. This pawl T takes into the teeth of a rack, V', fixed on'to the cutting-table B, so that its teeth are nearly ush with the surface thereof, and a groove is left on each side of the rack to receive the projecting sides of the trough-piece S, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

\V is a handle secured to the slide, which is grasped by the left hand of the operator, while with the right hand he actuates the knife lever E. After each cut the operator with the t'orenger of the left hand raises the small lever U, and causes the pawl T to be moved forward, which, being engaged into a tooth ot' the rack, has the e'ect of pushing forward the slide and the loaf a certain distance according to the amount of throw given to the pawl, and it is this advance or throw of the pawl T which in reality regulates the greater orv less thickness of the slice cut oitl from the loaf, the pawl being made to takev one, two, three, or more teeth at each stroke, as desired.

It is obvious that in lieu ot'working the pawl byathe tinger of the operator, as hereinbefore described, it may be worked by means of a suitable combination of links and levers from the lever E, which actuates the knife. The advantages ot this feed apparatus are that thinner slices can be out than by the gage above described, while at the same time the loatbeing secured to the slide, and the slide guided accurately by the grooves or channels on each side ot' the rack, the face of the loaf l will' always be presented parallel ,to the cutting-plane of the knife, and consequently the slices will not be thinner or thicker on one edge than the other, as would be the case were the t'aceeof the loaf presented at an angle either vertically or horizontally to the cuttingplane or path ofthe knife.

I claiml. The general constructions, arrangements, and combinations of apparatus for cutting, slicing, chopping, or mincing bread and other substances, substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated by the drawings.

2. The combination ot a knit'e blade with a .lever andinclined slotted bracket so disposed as to give a downward draw cut, for the purposes hereinbefore described.

3. The combination of a knife with two links vor levers, so disposed as to give a downward draw cut, for the purposes hereinbefore described.

4. The combination of an adjustable gage with a lever working or `cutting blade, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

5. The application and use of the bar or rib O, or its equivalent, combined with the knife G, for separating or clearing the slices when cut, substantially as liereinbei'ore described.

6. The application and use of an apparatus, constructed substantially as hereinb'ei'ore described, for holding the substance to be cut firmly and moving it forwardstep by step at right angles to the knife.

In testimony whereof` I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. JAMES OXLEY.

Witnesses CHARM-3s A. BRANsoN, JOHN PHILLIPS. 

